Sign in toNOLA.com

All eyes on Peyton Manning as he enters 17th NFL season

Essence Fest Saturday Manning Passing Academy Eli, Archie, and

Peyton Manning meets with the media during their Manning Passing Academy on Friday, July 11, 2014 at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. (Photo by Chris Granger, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
(CHRIS GRANGER)

He's entering his 17th season in the NFL, third with the Broncos, and at 38, his window for winning another Super Bowl narrows with each passing season. The Broncos know it, so they made a bevy of offseason additions in an attempt at another Super Bowl run with Manning at the helm.

Despite Manning's record-breaking 2013 season in which he passed for 55 touchdowns and broke Drew Brees' single-season record for passing yardage with 5,477, the Broncos were beaten up, pushed around and dragged all over the field by the Seattle Seahawks. The result was an embarrassing 43-8 loss in Super Bowl 48 at MetLife Stadium, home to Peyton's younger brother and Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Players like defensive end DeMarcus Ware from Dallas, safety T.J. Ward from Cleveland and cornerback Aqib Talib from New England were brought in to add to the Broncos' toughness.

On the offensive side, the New Orleans native has a new weapon in former Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders after the team parted ways with Eric Decker, who's now with the New York Jets.

In mid-July at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University, Manning said the young campers made him realize how lucky he is to be able to continue playing football going into Year 17.

"I get very excited to come to this camp," Manning said. "Being around these college players, being around these high school players, these guys love football and they don't complain about the heat, they don't complain about the three-a-day practices.

"They truly love football, and it's a great reminder for me going into my 17th year how lucky we are to be playing the game and not taking anything for granted."

The 2013 NFL MVP added how honored and humbled he was to be named the No. 1 player on the NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2014.

Eli, Archie, and Peyton Manning meet with the media during their Manning Passing Academy on Friday, July 11, 2014 at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. (Photo by Chris Granger, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)CHRIS GRANGER

"Anytime you're voted on something by your peers ... one goal I've always had and I think any player should have when you join a professional team or any league is to earn the respect of the players you are playing against, so that's something I've tried to do," he said. "So, for those players to have that opinion of me I'm very humbled by that ..."

The patriarch of the Manning family, Archie, said he thinks Peyton and Eli can bounce back from last season; Peyton from the Super Bowl debacle and Eli from his league-high 27 interceptions.

"I think they'll do fine. They work hard and they understand what the game of football is about," he said. "It can be a yo-yo ... they've been at it a long time, so they'll handle it."

Archie added that he's clueless about a timeframe when Peyton might call it a career.

"I don't have any idea. I think when you get to this point, it's kind of year to year," he said. "(Peyton) never has taken it for granted, I don't think, so hopefully he can keep his health and play until he's ready to stop."

But for now, the focus is reaching another Super Bowl and coming out on top this team. Given the Broncos' upgrades, most oddsmakers have installed Denver as a prohibitive favorite to reach this season's Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.

Manning's journey starts Sept. 7, when he opens the regular season against his former team, the Indianapolis Colts.